The Intertestamental
Period: From Babylon
To The Birth Of Christ
The Intertestamental Period and
the Rise of Christianity
Announcements
Intertestamental Period
Week
Date
Topic
1
05 Mar 14 Overview
2
12 Mar 14 Babylonian Period (605-539 BC)
3
19 Mar 14 Persian Period (539-332 BC)
4
26 Mar 14 Greek Period (332-323 BC)
5
02 Apr 14 Ptolemaic (323-198 BC)
6
09 Apr 14 Syrian (198-168 BC)
7
16 Apr 14 Maccabean Part 1 (168-153 BC)
8
23 Apr 14 Maccabean Part 2 (153-139 BC)
9
30 Apr 14 Independence (139-63 BC)
10
07 May 14 Rome Intervenes (63 – 37 BC)
11
14 May 14 Herod (37 BC – 4 BC)
12
21 May 14 The IT Period and Christianity (4 BC – 70 AD)
13
28 May 14 Review
Today’s Objectives
• Review last week’s lesson
• Learn about the division of Herod’s kingdom
• Learn about Herod’s three sons who become
leaders
• Learn about the Procurators of Rome who
administer Judea
– Pontius Pilate
• Learn about the Roman interaction with Christ
• Learn about the conflict between the Jews
and Romans
Reference Material
• KJV (w/ Apocrypha)
– 1st and 2nd Maccabbees
•
•
•
•
•
Josephus – The Complete Works
Herodotus – The History
Intertestamental History – Mark Moore
Ancient Rome – Simon Baker
Harding University – BNEW 112 Course Notes –
Dr. Thompson
• Intertestamental Period – John Battle
Where we left off….
• Review last week’s lesson
• Learned about the conflict between Octavian
and Antony and its’ effect on Judea
• Learned about Octavian as Caesar Augustus
• Learned about the origins of the Herodian
family
• Learned about Herod’s rule
– Efforts as king
– Intervention with the birth of Christ
– Death and division of the kingdom
Herod’s Death
• Herod grows more suspicious and cruel
• Had lost the confidence and favor of the
Romans
– Order a tax registration in 8 BC
• Contracts a disease, possibly a cancer
– Herod orders key Jewish leaders to be jailed
– Orders their execution when he dies
– Order not carried out
• Herod’s kingdom is divided
– Three younger sons inherit the kingdom
Division of the Herod’s Kingdom
• Archelaus
– 4 BC – 6 AD
– Became ruler of the Jews
– Territory included Judea, Idumea, and Samaria
• Herod Antipas
– 4 BC – 39 AD
– Became a subordinate rule below the rank of a
king, most often mentioned in the NT
– Territory included Galilee and Perea
• Philip the Tetrarch
– 4 BC – 34 AD
– Northeast of Galillee, Iturea, Trachonitis
Division of Herod’s Kingdom
LG – Archelaus
P – Antipas
O – Phillip
GR – Salome
DG – Roman Province
Y – Autonomous cities
Archelaus
• 4 BC – 6 AD
• Gained the most important part of Herod’s
kingdom including Judea, Idumea, and Samaria.
• Incompetent and cruel ruler (Read Matt 2:19-23)
• In 6 AD, a delegation of Jews and Samaritans
travel to Rome to complain
• Augustus deposed
• Instead of appointing another Governor, reduced
his territory to an imperial province under the rule
of a Roman procurators
• Procurators could be of the equestrian class, the
second highest class in Roman society
• Most infamous prefect was the fifth one, Pontius
Pilate (A.D. 26-36).
Herod Antipas
• 4 BC – 39 AD
• Antipas was granted the title of tetrarch, “ruler of a
fourth part” of a district
• He was given the family title “Herod” by the
Romans
• Both Antipas and his brother Philip held the title of
Herod
• Bible sometimes uses the word “king” for Herod
Antipas as a popular designation (Matt 14:9; Mark
6:14-26).
• Antipas was given the territories of Galilee and
Perea
• Antipas is the “Herod” mentioned in the Gospels
(except in the birth narratives, when Herod the
Great is mentioned)
Herod Antipas cont.
• Jesus belonged to Herod Antipas’ jurisdiction (Luke
23:7)
• Remembered for beheading John the Baptist in Perea
– While Herod was visiting in Rome, he was attracted to Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip (not Philip the Tetrarch)
– She forsook her husband, and with her daughter Salome she went
with Herod back to Galilee
– John the Baptist declared that Herod was guilty of grave sin
– For this reason Herod imprisoned John and later executed him
(Matt 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29).
• When Jesus was warned to flee from Herod’s territory
of Perea, Jesus took his time in leaving, and called
Herod a “fox” (Luke 13:31-32)
• During his trial, Jesus refused to speak at all to Herod
Antipas (Luke 23:1-12)
Philip the Tetrarch
• 4 BC – 34 AD
• Received the least important section of the
kingdom
• Philip is mentioned in the NT only in Luke 3:1
• Appears to have been a good ruler
• He married Salome, who had danced for his
brother Herod Antipas
• Jesus visited Caesarea Philippi, a city in Philip’s
territory which Philip had built up and named for
himself
• While Jesus was there, Peter gave his great
confession (Matt 16:13-20).
• Nearby Mt. Hermon may have been the site of
Christ’s transfiguration (Matt 17:1-2).
Procurators
• Roman citizens of wealth who were not
magistrates or members of the senate
• Roscian Law set the minimum wealth at
400K Sesterces (about $380K today)
• Highest class were called prefectures
• There were 14 procurators in Judaea from 6
AD to 66 AD – the time of the Great Revolt
• Pontius Pilate is perhaps the most famous
– Served from 26-35 AD
– Fifth Procurator of Judea
– The judge at Jesus' trial and the man who
authorized his crucifixion
Pontius Pilate
• Referred to as the "Prefect of Judea“
• Described as inflexible, merciless, and
obstinate
• Responsible for imperial tax collections in
Judea
• John 18:28-40 describes the interaction
between Jesus and Pilate
• Rule was brought to an end through trouble
which arose in Samaria
– Revolving around a sacred vessel thought to
belong to Moses and his attempts to secure
Roman Empire
• Early empire 14 AD to 180 AD
• First four emperors were from Augustus’ family
– Tiberius
– Caligula
– Claudius
– Nero
• Nero
– Evil
– Killed anyone in his way including mother and wife
– Good emperors include Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian,
Antonius Pius, & Marcus Aurelius
Rome and the Jews
• Judaea was a Roman province
• Political parties
– Sadducees cooperated with the Romans
– Essenes Rome and awaited the Messiah
– Zealots advocated overthrowing Roman rule
• Revolt began in 66 was crushed by the Romans
• Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem
• Jesus began to teach during the midst of the
conflict
The Great Revolt
• 66-73 AD, time of Nero, then Vespasian
• First of three revolts by the Jews against
the Romans
• Initially started over religious tensions
between Jews and Greeks
• Grew with anti-taxation protests and attacks
upon Roman citizens
• Ended when legions under Titus destroyed
rebel resistance in Jerusalem, and defeated
the remaining Jewish strongholds (Masada)
Rise of Christianity
• Jesus taught that inner transformation was
most important, humility, charity, and love for
others
• Judeans turned Jesus over to the Romans
because they thought he might cause people to
revolt against Romans
• Pontius Pilate ordered his crucifixion
• Followers of Jesus believed that he overcame
death and was the Messiah
• Simon Peter and the disciples taught that Jesus
was the Savior and Son of God
Christ
• Born around 4 BC in Bethlehem
• Worshipped God and followed Jewish law
• At the age of 30 began preaching to villagers,
using short stories with simple moral lessons to
communicate his ideas (parables)
• Recruited 12 disciples to help Him spread His
ideas, called apostles, in Jerusalem
• Some Jews in Jerusalem welcomed Christ,
many of the priests felt he threatened their
leadership
• Roman authorities felt Christ would lead the
Jews in a revolt against their rule
Review
• Reviewed last week’s lesson
• Learned about the division of Herod’s
kingdom
• Learned about Herod’s three sons who
become leaders
• Learned about the Procurators of Rome who
administer Judea, especially Pilate
• Learned about the Roman interaction with
Christ
• Learned about the conflict between the Jews
and Romans